Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring to show in SF

January 24, 2013 — dsart

This has nothing to do with border art, but I want those living on the border who might be planning a trip to San Francisco to know that this Saturday 26th through June 2, the De Young Museumt is opening an exhibition called Girl with a Pearl Earring; Dutch Painting from the Mauritshuis. There will be 35 paintings from this magnificent museum in The Hague, including Vermeer’s famous portrait. I have seen this painting in the Hague and I have to say that I have seen no reproduction of it that accurately reproduces the nuanced, luminescent colors. It seems the Mauritshuis is closed for renovations until mid 2014, so they are sending a series of gems on a world tour. Having first been shown in Japan, they are coming to San Francisco, and will then continue on to Atlanta and New York. At the risk of sounding like an ad, this is really an amazing opportunity to see these works. I saw them midweek during one winter visit. The museum was nearly empty at that time so I had time to stand and look as long as I wanted. While examining first the Girl with a Pearl Earring, and then Vermeer’s View from Delft, (which is apparently not travelling), I was reminded of a story I heard on NPR. They interviewed one of the Judges at the War Crimes tribunal for the Bosnian war, which was taking place in The Hague. He was asked how he coped with hearing, day after day stories of mass rapes, murders and tortures. He replied that during the breaks he would go across the courtyard to the Mauritshuis and look at the Vermeer’s, which would help restore his sense of humanity. Indeed.-david sokolec